Friday's Finds

I guess I'm an optimist at heart, because for the past two days and nights, our little community was plaqued with raging fires, but I never thought that we'd actually be involved. There were fires to the west of us, to the east and to the south. Smoke billowed from the mountains just blocks from our house, but no flames. We knew the flames were on the back side of the mountain. For days and nights, helicopters flew above us, making water drops, but our sky remained blue. But yesterday afternoon, that all changed and the sky became an errie black and orange. Soot and ashes fell to the ground as the winds changed. And soon flames erupted on our side of the mountain.

I've never seen anything so frightening in my life. All the neighbors watched, looking up, trying to decide what to do. The night before we'd had voluntary evacuations. No one left, we watched and waited. I didn't want to leave my house. No one did. My optimism was tested though when the flames atop the mountains starting a downward decline towards our homes. It was only then, that we decided to pack up our valuables. Our kitties would be a problem. They don't travel well and that limited us to where we would go. But as all the neighbors watched and waited, the amazing firefighters did their jobs expertly. And we saw those threatening flames diminish in the hours to come.

The fires still rage in other cities surrounding us. It's 20% contained they say, but the firefighters lit backfires and are making sure the flames don't cause damage to any homes and that they don't jump the freeways. This is very good news, but it'll be days before the fires are put out entirely. My optimism is restored and I'm thinking that with no loss of life and only one house down, (I say that with compassion for that one homeowner) it's truly a miracle.

I can't say enough about our firefighters. They worked day and night and tirelessly, to make sure we were all safe. They are truly heroes.